St Patrick's Day and Jesse

Recently remembered that I once designed a St Patrick's Day granny square. So for anybody looking for one, here it is. The pattern for it can be found on my crochet site.


Jesse did not get better with the antibiotics. His x-rays show no improvement to his sinuses. So we get to see a doc next week and see what can be done - if anything. I sure hope this is not affecting his learning.

Getting into Debt and Crafts


Anybody watch today's Oprah? I just caught a bit of it whilst passing a few minutes before going to collect Jesse from French School.

The subject was debt. I am always floored by amount of debt some families have. If I can't afford it, I don't buy it. The only reason I have credit cards is convenience and they get paid off totally each month. And we are not a rich household. We have an average income, none of our vehicles are new (or even newish).

One of the families on Oprah had a lady that enjoyed crafts. She is what I would call a stash-aholic. Here the link to the page

Quote from Oprah's site: Marnie's obsession with crafts is also digging them deeper into debt. Marnie admits she buys on impulse, a habit that resulted in her owning $1,000 worth of beads and $1,500 worth of scrap-booking supplies. "I feel really guilty about spending the money on [crafts]," Marnie says, "but, at the same time, you cannot always just focus on everything horrible in your life." $1500 of BEADS GULP!!!!

I think many people get caught up in the latest online obessions. I see it on crochet and knitting lists all the time. One person talks about something and then everybody wants it. And I bet 90% of them don't use the pattern, yarn or accessory. Ebay is another place that tends to make people lose all sense of realitly. They bid and bid and bid. I have seen patterns that I sell for $4.95 CDN go for $20 US on Ebay.

Easy credit is worrying. It is so easy to get credit cards (especially in the USA) and easy to get loans that promise they can consolidate your debts (but only tell you in the small print that their interest rate is 40%) etc etc.

Please note, these are just my thoughts and views and I don't mind if people don't agree with me. I just couldn't live that way myself.

Yellowknife

On Monday I finally got to fly to Yellowknife to see the neurologist about my numb hand and neck problems. Flew on this. Yes it is a DC3. It was loud but it got me there. Loud I didn't need as Jesse kept me up most of that night and I was really tired.

Yellowknife hasn't changed too much since I was last up there some 8 years ago. Canadian Tire has moved and a new building in its place. Even though we don't have many stores in Hay River and Yellowknife has malls, Wal-Mart and a new Extra Foods, I still wouldn't live there for anything.

The neurologist did the electrical tests on me. My arm and hand was jumping all over the place. Sure felt weird. He confirmed (as I had always thought) that I don't have carpal tunnel. It is a pinched nerve in my neck caused by arthritis (Cervical Spondylosis). Not gone far enough to warrant surgery (thank God). I will be attending physio and using a neck traction contraption every day to try to relieve the pressure. It looks like THIS. I can't wait - NOT. It's like something from the cells in the Tower of London. I suppose if it helps, then I need to do it.

Was reading Paula's blog and noticed that she had made Rock Buns. Immediately sent me into a fit of nostalgia as I remember my Mum (sorry but being a Brit I spell it that way) making Rock Cakes for my dad. They were a favourite of his. Paula asked if I knew the origin of the recipe. I can only think it is because they are hard and look like rocks when cooked. Seems they can be dated back to at least 1861 as British settlers took the recipe to New Zealand. If anybody else knows more, do let me know.

Here is an English recipe closed to the one that Mum used to cook.

Rock cakes

100g butter or margarine

225g plain flour
2x5ml spoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp mixed spice (optional)
Grated rind of half a lemon
100g demerara sugar
100g mixed dried fruit
1 egg, beaten
5 ml spoon milk

Rub the fat into the sifted flour,
baking powder, salt and spices until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the rind, sugar and fruit.

Make a well in the centre, pour in the egg and milk, and mix to give a
stiff consistency.

Place mixture in rough heaps onto a greased baking tray. Bake in a moderately
hot oven 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6 for 15-20 minutes.

Jackie's notes: g = gram, 5ml = 1 tsp, Plain flour is ordinary baking flour in North Amercia (in England we have one called Self Raising flour too). The dough should be quite stiff so that when you drop in on the baking sheet (cookie sheet) it does not make a smooth mound.

And I have just found an old ORIGINAL Recipe

Rock Cakes

To six ounces of flour,
add three of butter,
two ounces of currants,
sugar to your taste,
one egg.

Beat all well together, break it into rough pieces, and bake on tins
in a quick oven.

Source: Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine, Vol iv, 1856-7

Looking Back....

Just came across a granny square that I designed some 10 or more years ago. I had just joined CP, learnt to crochet and got an urge to try to design something for Valentine's.

Gosh it took me forever. I crocheted, frogged, crocheted, frogged. Then I realized that I hadn't written down the final attempt. It proved to be a very popular design at the time. I think it seems rather dated now. Crochet has changed. It sure isn't just afghans and doilies any longer and clothing patterns are vastly improved.


So here is that square. As Valentine's is not so far off, here is a link to the pattern, in case anybody is interested. It is amazing how many comfort afghans this has appeared in.

Happy New Year to you all!

Hope to keep up with the blog more this year.

We took Jesse to see the fireworks last night. Oh my the wonders of the world through a kid's eyes. He was squeeling with delight. It was truly a wonder for him.

OOps - I've been AWOL again.

Lots of reasons (or should I say excuses) for not blogging. One was that I wanted to leave the post about Emma and her cute son at the top. Hopefully to encourage more people to donate.

Another is that I am just plain busy. Jesse started swimming lessons on Saturdays. I also try to take him once or twice per week. He is doing pretty good. CANskate starts on Monday - that too is twice per week. Orders are pouring in for patterns - that time of year when we get really busy. I have also volunteered to be Treasurer for Hay River Playschool so I am spreading myself pretty thin. Oh yes, and I am supposed to be taking it easy as the pain in my neck and numbness was getting worse. Well at least I am not sitting in this out of the way town bored out of my mind.

But I did manage a bit of knitting. The project was for another Pumpkin Patch Hat. It is either for one of Jesse's friends (won't name them in case their mom is reading this) or it is for the PlaySchool to sell. I just love the pics of Jesse wearing the hat - he looks even more cute than normal. Can't believe he is a year older already.

Trying to Help a Fellow Mom

Emma is an amazing mommy in England. Her adorable little boy has special needs. As he is growing, he needs new specialized equipment to aid his independence and make his life more like other kids. The price of such equipment is astronomical and some of the blogging knitters are trying to do their bit to help out this wonderful family. Read Emma's story.

If you feel you can contribute, please do. Every little will help.

Appears that my tingling arm and fingers and related pain might not be carpal tunnel. I had neck x-rays done and the clinic wants to see me for a follow up. They would not call me in if there was nothing on the x-rays. Can't get seen until Aug 25 though.

Been looking at little things to crochet. Just tiny projects that I can do now and again. What about these earrings?

Overdoing it!

Feeling sorry for myself. I have tingling/numb fingers, pain in my shoulder and elbow. It is pretty difficult to even sleep with this. No it isn't caused by crocheting or knitting but by too much computer work. I bought a Microsoft Trackball and the shape helped but the ball sticks. Evidently it is a typical design fault with this particular trackball. So then I bought a Logitech but the shape is too high for my little hands and that ended up aggravating the situation. I just installed a normal mouse this morning and am currently trying to use my left hand instead. Not doing too well with that. I was just updating a website and accidentally shut down my computer. Lost all the work. DUH!

My right arm is braced and I am trying to rest it as much as possible...pretty hard with a 4 year old around. Trying to follow some advice about carpal tunnel from crochet.about.com before I go and see the doc about it. It will probably take a few weeks to even get an appointment up here.

Finding it hard to keep up with blogging lately. Mainly due to the nice weather that we have been having and also work has kept me very busy.

A few weeks ago we took our 5th wheel camper down through Alberta and across to BC. The weather wasn't too bad considering that rain was predicted nearly every day. We found it to be sunny most days. We toured down to 108 Mile House. Hi to Jessie who showed us around in the dark as there was a power outage. A really bad storm came through just before we got there. The white on this photo (click for larger) is hail not snow. It was all white when we first arrived. I thought we were back in winter.



Then we traveled down to Cache Creek. I fist went there on my honeymoon. The scenery reminds me of the wild west. I love it! This photo was taken on the road between Cache Creek and Lillooet.



Great place to visit just north of Cache Creek is Hat Creek Ranch. We spent one night at a noisy campground in Cache Creek and the next night we moved our camper and actually camped at Hat Creek Ranch. I will know better next time - just camp at the ranch.

The day we took the ranch tour just happened to be the same day that two bus loads of Brits arrived. It was so funny to hear the accents.... I might be British but I have not lived there for around 17 years now. The Brits were really confused - Canadian man with a British wife and a little boy that looks a little Chinese. In the end, some actually came right out and asked me where I was from. As for the tour -- it was really interesting. We took a stage coach ride - reminded me of our F250 Ford Truck -- BUMPY!! There was cowboy riding around. He asked if Jesse had every ridden a horse. Little did he know that there is only 1 in Hay River and I don't think Jesse had ever seen that one. He has only seen horses from a distance when we are traveling. So the wonderful man got off his horse and put Jesse up there and led him around. Jesse looked mortified but I think that was more to do with being watched by 40 Brits than by the horse.



On the way back from our main trip we stopped at Rombs County Bluegrass Jamboree near Fairview, Alberta. It was MUCH more fun than I anticipated. Ron is the musician in the family. I play nothing....well I didn't until last week...Ron bought me a fiddle. Not learnt much about playing it yet. The dogs just howl a lot at the moment tee hee. This week we are going to buy a new 5 string banjo as Ron wants to learn that. And he will too. He is very talented musically. We also hope to visit Peace Bluegrass Festival in Dawson Creek, BC which is this weekend. Will take us two days to get there though.


As you can tell, we are traveling a lot this summer. Not much knitting or crocheting has been done. I have just begun to crochet a bolero which I am hoping to get finished in the next day or so. It is from CaneyLadysCreations. These patterns are great for beginners as there are so many pics to follow. A bit of a pain for an experienced crocheter though - if you print the pattern, you would use so much ink!!!

Sickened and Angry


I was born 8 miles from Central London, England. Most of my family live in London.
I get SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO mad that innocent people get hurt when governments make, IMO, bloody stupid decisions. I could go on a long, drawn out political rant here but I will save you from that.

Is Summer Here?

Or as Jesse would say; "Has the snow melted Mommy?"

We finally brought our 5th wheel camper home from the storage yard. Jesse was SO excited. He always saw the camper as we drove along that main road in town. The storage yard can be seen from there. And every day he would ask when we were going camping. He literally did a happy dance (and nearly wet himself) when went to get it. And then he thought he was sleeping in it last night. That meant tears at bedtime. I told him he could help me take some things out there today so that calmed him. BUT I DIDN'T MEAN AT THE CRACK OF DAWN THIS MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!! He woke me up extremely early asking if we were going to load the camper now. And he was already dressed. Jesse NEVER gets dressed without an argument in the mornings. So even though it is still pretty cold out there at 7c (45F), it looks as if we will have to go somewhere for a night soon.

Kids - they are SOOO much fun...even when they wake you that early. I wouldn't change him for the world.

Need a summer hat - buying one in this town is out of the question. I plan on crocheting one. Have a design stuck in my head. Not sure if I have time to make it though as I have 3 other things on the go already. Hopefully by the time I can make it, I won't have forgotten what I envisaged.

Crochet Partners has a new re-vamped website so I will dedicate this post to CP.

I joined back in 1996. Even was List Manager at one point. I wasn't really happy about a few things and quit - but I am not going into that so don't ask Then I started my own business and after a lot of hard work, it took off. Around the same time, we were lucky enough to be able to adopt a 2 day old little boy. He is the love of my life. He stopped me crocheting and I didn't care. I just never had time. He is now 4. Mommy can do needlecrafts now and again. He knows the difference between crocheting and knitting. Adores the things mommy makes him and tells everybody where it came from.

I have a lot to thank CP for. I learnt so much about crocheting on CP. My dumb beginner questions were answered. Maybe if nobody had responded, I wouldn't be where I am today. Thank you CP!

If you are in Canada, there is a little Canadian crochet group called Canucks Crochet. Feel free to pop over.

And if anybody wants to know where the previous post about Mother's day went....I decided this wasn't the place to vent.

Finally Have An FO Photo

At last I managed to remember to get a photo take when the sun was still out.



Here is Summer Cardigan.

Pattern by Knitting Pure & Simple. Yarn Scholler Stahl Bandolino. It was another cardigan and I ran out of yarn. Couldn't get any more from anywhere so I ripped it. Glad I did as this is such a nice cardigan to wear. It goes perfectly with the Shapely Tank that I made last summer.

Happy that my birthday is over for another year. It was HORRID!! Not only did I not feel well but hubby put even less effort into it than he normally does. Normally he will make a minor effort. This year -- well he practically didn't bother. Jesse had nagged him all week to take him to get me a present -- he didn't of course. So Jesse was upset too. I don't know if it is because Ron was an only child and his parents were too busy farming to even begin to teach his about feelings, caring, thinking of others or what it is. But it hurts when he can't even make the slightest effort for one day per year. (And if it was connected to his work -- he would have gone overboard).
Thanks to all bloggers who sent me greetings though. :-) Isn't it funny how people you have never met can show more care than your own husband!!!!
BITCH over....
Sorry had to get it out of my system.

Happy Birthday to me!

I feel ancient today. Not feeling well (women's stuff that I get very badly) and was awake half the night. GROAN!

Never mind....little Jesse ran in the room this morning shouting "Happy Birthday Mommy!". He always manages to put a smile on my face no matter what.

Screaming Kid Alert

Put in your earplugs. I have mine in but it isn't working so I left him to think about things and came in here. He won't get dressed. "Mummy's job!" he says. At nearly 4 years old, I am fed up with these mini wars every day so I am not giving in today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after. Super Nanny to the rescue!!!!!

Last night I finished the Summer Cardigan. What a nice pattern to knit! I know it is plain but mindless knitting is about all I can deal with lately. Once I finally got my gauge right (my fault for not doing a swatch - not the pattern's) I was zooming along. Buttons are on their way from a supplier as there was not a single purple button to be had in town - unless I cut it off some unsuspecting person's clothing of course...I can see the headlines now tee hee. Will take a photo as soon as I can.

Spring must have finally come to Hay River. Some ducks flew over yesterday and we saw two seagulls. Normally the only birds we see are ravens, sparrows or snowbirds. As soon as you see anything else, thoughts of summer start to swirl in your head. The river is still frozen but with a lot of melted water on top in parts. The back yard still has some snow but it is mainly a mud bath with some patches of yucky brown soggy grass. Guess I should really be happy that there are no mosquitos yet................

Here she is! Sweetie Pie (named by Jesse who actually calls it Sweepie Pie).
It is for a baby or 22 inch baby doll.


Click for Larger.

Absent Without Leave

Not been a good few weeks in this house. Too many sick people. I have been hacking for weeks. Finally found my inhaler (I swear somebody hid it) and after 3 weeks, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Last week saw Jesse with a stomach bug. Poor baby just got over that and he began to cough. Oh boy what a cough! Yesterday I was really worried. His temp went up to 39.3 and he was not moving much. Not like him at all. I gave Tylenol and cool baths and finally called the medical centre. Pure waste of time. "Come in tomorrow if you are still worried". DUH! Then I remembered a 1 800 TELE something # for medical help. The lady was so nice and helpful. Shw was in Nova Scotia -- is everybody really so nice over there? I have not come across anybody who isn't. She gave some ideas to us to try to ease his cough. He is a little better today but still not Jesse whirlwind. Hopefully he will improve by the weekend as we want to get out of here and head to the REAL WORLD.

On the crafting front....Finished a baby dress with matching mop cap and jacket. My own design. I am very proud of it. Here is a sneak peak of the dress. Better pics of the outfit to come.